Exhibition in one week

Horns will tip off the 2017-18 season next Sunday vs the Oklahoma City University Stars, the defending NAIA champions.

 

http://www.ocusports.com/news/2017/7/27/womens-basketball-ocu-faces-texas-in-exhibition-play.aspx

http://www.ocusports.com/news/2017/9/27/womens-basketball-stars-take-on-texas-am-in-exhibition.aspx

http://www.ocusports.com/news/2017/10/24/womens-basketball-stars-open-season-atop-national-rankings.aspx
[QUOTE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Defending national champion Oklahoma City University garnered the No. 1 slot in the preseason NAIA Division I women's basketball rankings.
][/QUOTE]
http://www.ocusports.com/news/2017/10/13/womens-basketball-ocu-installed-as-sac-preseason-favorite.aspx

 

Not playing the exhibition at Gregory this year?

The memory that sticks with me from that game was when Sug was running point and lost track of where she was on the court. As she was setting up the offense she was slowly backing up while dribbling and getting closer and closer to the half court line - everyone on the Texas bench was yelling, trying to get her attention as she hit the line. The perfect clip would have the Jaws theme playing under it.

 

Schedule says Frank Erwin Center.

 

Just a reminder...The game is on LHN if you can’t make it.

 

Destiny Littleton with two 3-pointers to start the second quarter; she makes it look so easy.

Jada Underwood seems to be at the end of the bench in warm ups.

Alecia Sutton has not yet seen the floor a few minutes into the second quarter.

 

We are 7-11 on 3 point shots with 8 minutes left in second quarter.

Rellah enters the game.

 

Patterson, Sug nor Underwood playing thru 3 quarters. Must be in the doghouse.

 

End of 3rd quarter, I'm just catching the game. All I'm going to say is I LIKE OUR FRESHMAN!!!

#33 Booth is the REAL DEAL!! It's my 1st time seeing her and I'm a believer. Yes it's an exhibition game and they're playing OKC??? but she already has moves under the basket, can pass and can handle the ball. I like her!!!

OK back to the game.

 

Boothe RAINING THREES!!!

Freshman of the year...BOOTHE!!!

 

Very impressive. Lots of talent. Enough depth to play pressure defense as long as needed. Littleton is better than I thought although is a liability on defense. Booth really has IT. Wish the 3 that didn’t play.....could have. Good start.

 

Fran Harris (I think) said Chasity not playing due to “coach’s decision.” Did not mention Sug or Jada.

Lashann is, as usual, a menace. Mide seemed a bit uneasy at first but really settled in, especially on defense and the boards.

 

As I mentioned, Jada was in orange warm-ups and at the end of the bench. Based on the last few seasons, that told me she would see no action today (most likely due to injury).

No idea why Sutton saw no minutes.

 

For those of you who watched the game I am guessing it was played at break neck speed. Were they mainly looking for steals and then running or was every possession focused on running? Did they do much in the half court?

 

One of the things that stood out to me was the excellent hands the girls had today. Very little fumbling or bumbling when receiving the pass or on a rebound. No one held the ball very long. As soon as anyone caught a pass they knew exactly what they were going to do with it!! OKC was fundamentally a good team but could not compete with our size or quickness! It is going to be a fun year!!!!

 

Box score:

http://texassports.com/documents/2017/11/5//Texas_vs_Oklshoma_City.pdf?id=9373

 

Nuyoika -- I have only seen the first half, but yes it was played at breakneck speed. Much going for steals, and many successful ones. The half-court game was also played at a fast pace. Sometimes I'd like a little more patience to look for the better shot, but there were many nice assists. It was good. Will see second half on DVR later. Nice to have you on the board, since we (or I anyway) really enjoy the Boneyard.

 

replay at 7 pm tonight on the LHN.

 

Yes it was at breakneck speed, on our part; but it wasn't one of those games where we scored a ton of points on a less athletic team and 60% of them were off fast breaks. We can score in the half court this year, and we can shoot. And zones won't kill us. When was the last time a Texas women's basketball team hit 12 three pointers?

In limited minutes Boothe and Littleton shot lights out and had some nifty moves and passes. Higgs was dazzling on defense. Too early to tell, but she was hitting her outside shot today and looks like she's elevated her offensive game. McCarty was fabulous and really needs to stay at shooting guard for maximum effect.

It was a little hard to judge our front line. OKC didn't have anyone over six feet and we really wore them down in the second half. I suspect Kalani Brown is going to foul out at least two of our bigs. The good news is we have a lot of bangers to throw at her. It's going to be White, Holmes and Boothe getting the minutes in big games, I believe. We will need Joyner against the top teams. Boothe can bang, too, and she's of enormous value to us because---with that three point shot of hers----she can force the opposition bigs to defend outside. We haven't had that luxury in a long time. Aborowa is also going to get a fair number of minutes off the bench this year. She's really improved. Blocked shots, rebounded, put the ball in the basket when she got it in close. And oh yes, Hosey looks like a different player. She hit a three!

 

Starting five: Brooke, Ariel, LaShann, Audrey and Jatarie.

Rough first quarter as far as scoring, at least it seemed that way. LaShann is going to be a terror on D. She caused several TOs by her press on the player she was guarding. The defensive intensity brought by the starters was continued as players subbed in. Our frosh also did their best to do the same but some drop off was noticed, primarily due to lack of experience in the system and the lack of conditioning needed to maintain the defensive intensity. You can see that’s coming, though. Mide was a pleasant surprise defensively. She is going to be out shot blocker when in there. All of our returners were able to go full speed when in there, no slacking off at all.


Really liked the three point shooting. Unlike last year, we should be a good three point shooting team. We got several players that can shoot the three, including our two frosh that played, Destiny and Rellah. Rellah is tough inside as well. She will be a matchup problem, especially by conference when she should be able to be more effectively defensively. Can you imagine her and Joyner in at the same time with either Jatarie or Audrey in the post? We are going to be tough inside. The only problem will be staying out of foul trouble. It looked like Jatarie picked up a couple of quick fouls but the box score only has her with three, not bad.


I was sorry not to see Alecia, Jada or Chasity play. Not sure why they didn’t play.


Both Ariel and Khalé had shooting woes. Ariel was 3-12 and 1-6 from BTA. But she had 8 rebs and three steals. Khalé was 0-3 including 0-2 from BTA. She led the team with 5 assists, had four rebs, two steals and two blocks. Contributing in other ways when your shot is not dropping.


I was really impressed with our defense, pressure on the ball handler, and the problems we caused for Okla. City inbounding. Our passing, although sometimes a bit too ambitious, was for the most part excellent. Even more impressive was how fit the team looked. I look for Brooke and Ariel to lead in minutes played, although neither should play more than 30 minutes except in really close games. I really don’t see anyone averaging much more than 20 minutes, simply because of the talent available.


Almost time to watch the replay. It doesn’t look like I will be able to watch the team in person until the Vegas games. Although I hope to be back for the UTSA game.

 

A few random thoughts:
1. The team looked good. It will be different and I think better when the 3 players who didn't play are interjected. For sure Sug and Chasity will be in the top 8 or 9. Underwood will be a good 9 to 11 player.
2. Even though the free throw shooting was only 56%, all seemed to have a good stroke. Free throw shooting will be a big factor in close games. I am always frustrated when a team throws up bricks.
3. Coach A switched defenses. Still primarily a pressure man-to-man, the players seem to hedge screens stronger. I saw several zone traps especially full court. Liked the full court pressure. Then there was even a "ZONE SITING"! I cant remember Coach A ever playing a zone this early. A zone tossed into the fray at times can change the game as the other team has to quickly change offenses.
4. The passing was much improved over previous years. Maybe finally the turnovers will be forced only.........and not any of the unforced ones that seem to have been part of the DNA in past years.
5. I am a little sad in that at one time I realized that McCarty is in her last year. This program will miss her. She has been the main reason that Texas WBB has seen its resurgence.
6. I am glad we have several easy games early rather than last year's brutal early schedule. I think Coach A realized it too.
7. Remembering Holmes in her first say 6 games last year when she couldn't make a layup or put back. I think this team is lights out ahead of last year and when Holmes comes back it shouldn't be that much of a transition to including her.
8. I am REALLY excited about the season!

 

http://www.hookemplus.com/story/just-texas-trounces-okc-exhibition/

I gotta admit I did not like the size of the players names on the scoreboard. Too small for my vision. Guess I will need to make sure I take my telescope so I can read those small letters/numbers (for me, at any rate). The clarity of the video board was pretty impressive. The orange with white numbers on the ribbon and on the scoreboard really lacked contrast and was difficult to read. I will need to check the next game I go to but I wonder if they will change the color of the opponent's side to match the school colors.

 

Just my thoughts:

- was surprised how many three point shots we were attempting (and making) so early in the game (first quarter); in post-game interview, Brooke mentioned the "new offense", so it appears the team will be kicking it out more to the perimeter than trying to always force the ball inside; I do think that fits our personnel better, especially without Joyner through December

- Brooke and Ariel played as hard as ever, even in an exhibition. Ariel seemed quicker than last season.

- Lashann shot the 3 pointer with much more confidence. Her release was quicker. Looks like she has the green light to shoot it.

- Jatarie looked a bit rusty, but that's to be expected. So glad she is healthy. Will help fill Kelsey Lang's void.

- Audrey-Ann seemed lighter and quicker; that is very good thing. I still think she and Jatarie will alternate at Center, and we won't see them on the court together too often, especially when Joyner returns.

- Good to se Khaleann back on the court, too. She needs to remain healthy so she can get back into the flow of things. She wasn't shy about launching 3-pointers, but don't think she connected on any of them; she may have been the only one who didn't.

- Destiny Littleton yesterday was like watching the high school highlights I had seen of her play. Such a comfortable spot-up shooter from beyond the arc; her feet always seem to be set and in the right position to launch her long-range shot. She looked very comfortable handling the ball and bringing it up the court; I recall she did that a lot in high school, and if no one got close to her, she would just stop short of the arc, and shoot three's with no one in her face. Her passing was a great surprise.

- Rellah Boothe is a very strong player with wide shoulders. We can really user her down low at PF, but having her be able to drain 3 point shots effortlessly will be huge for our offense. She is definitely an ideal "stretch four" in my book.

- Jordan Hosey does seem ready to contribute; she's always been able to shoot the 3-pointer, just didn't get very many opportunities in the past based on the role she was asked to play when subbed in.

- Olamide looking more comfortable; seems to know her role and responsibilities. Very unselfish player who will be able to hold her own when other post players get into foul trouble.

My biggest take: we will be shooting a lot of 3-pointers this season!

 

From what I've seen, we'll see more entry passes than anytime in years past. When effective, that game collapses defenses and opens up 3-point opportunities. Tina has been busy.

As publicly disclosed, Sug and Jada are nursing injuries and have been working on the treadmill during practice.

Was most pleased by Shann's quickness and maturity. That growth creates more of a PG battle than I imagined.

When Rellah gets in shape and learns her assignments...lookout.

 

I can see Jatarie and Audrey-Ann rotating at the Center position once Joyner returns and is integrated back into the lineup. But I don't see why the two would not be starting during the fall games with Jordan and Rellah backing them up. The rotation this game, which remains to be seen on whether it remains, of Audrey-Ann coming out and then going back in for Jatarie is a workable one. They make a pretty good rebounding, scoring and defensive duo.

 

If they are both on the court to start the game, it definitely increases the chance that one or both of them picks up a quick foul. We saw Audrey-Ann getting called for fouls last season just for breathing. Surprisingly, I don't recall Audrey-Ann floating out to the perimeter yesterday; she did not launch any 3 pointers, which she has done in the past.

I'm just glad that all combinations are possible as everyone appears to be healthy (for the most part).

 

In the last 3 years, it seemed like our offense was mainly to feed the ball down low to Imani or Kelsey; too many forced entry passes which resulted in steals or turnovers. We did that because our 3 point shooting wasn't reliable. Based on what we saw in the exhibition, getting the ball to our open shooters beyond the arc could be a huge emphasis. We won't have to make an entry pass if our shooters aren't being closely guarded. In other words, we won't have to go inside-out on every play.